Fiesta On Flagler Hispanics Celebrate Heritage With Music, Food, Dance, Book Fair And A Horse Show.

October 9, 1992|By LISA A. STEMLE, Special to the Sun-Sentinel

A waterside celebration of Hispanic heritage and art will provide plenty of entertainment this weekend.

The 1992 Fiesta on Flagler offers musicians and dancers, food and drink and a showcase of arts and crafts. The fourth annual Fiesta opens tonight at 6 p.m. in downtown West Palm Beach and continues through Sunday night.

Big-name entertainers and their bands will close each evening with a concert on the New World stage. Musician and composer Willy Chirino blends his Cuban roots with American musical influences and adds a Brazilian beat. Chirino and his band will perform tonight at 8:30.

Tito Puente is known for his jazz as well as his salsa music. He has four decades of experience in the musical world, performing, composing, arranging and recording. Puente has three Grammy awards and performed in the recent movie Mambo Kings. He performs with his 11-piece band Saturday at 8:30 p.m.

Carlos Oliva and his band Los Sobrinos del Juez (The Judge`s Nephews) will close Fiesta on Flagler. Cuban native Oliva is a longtime resident of Miami. He hosts two public television shows in Miami, The Miami Sound and Sunshine Rhythms. Oliva and his band blend African rhythm, Latin and American jazz and a Caribbean sound. They will perform Sunday at 8:30 p.m.

With two stages and strolling performers, the entertainment is nearly non- stop. Entertainment for children will include a puppet theater, juggler and pinatas.

An International Book Fair will be held each day, featuring titles in Spanish and English. Palm Beach County author Joan Schuster will attend Saturday and Sunday afternoons, signing copies of her new novel, Petroleros. Set in 1940s Venezuela, it tells the story of Americans working in oil fields and follows a family to the mid-1970s.

Hurricane Andrew destroyed some of the books stored in Miami for the fair, said organizer Duke Banks of Lake Worth. Many of the remaining books to be offered are by Cuban authors or on Cuban topics, he said.

The book fair will be open tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Paso Fino horses are one of the most popular attractions of Fiesta on Flagler. They have been shown by their owners each year of the festival.

The Paso Fino is a Spanish breed prized for its smooth gait. Most of the American Paso Finos are descended from Colombian and Puerto Rican Paso Finos, said West Palm Beach resident Joan Bolton, who will display her horse in the show.

Bolton owns five Paso Fino horses and because of their smooth ride, she said she would not own any other breed.

About 15 to 20 Paso Fino horses will be exhibited on Saturday and Sunday. The 45-minute shows will be presented at 1, 3, and 5 p.m. Owners introduce visitors to the breed and talk about their horses.

Bolton said she expects enthusiastic crowds for the Paso Fino exhibition again this year. ``We`ve gotten a great response (in past years). It`s been standing room only for every show.``

Fiesta on Flagler will recognize the 500th anniversary of Christopher Columbus` voyage to America, said Alex Jimenez, executive and artistic director of the Hispanic Cultural Arts Inc., the non-profit organization that presents Fiesta on Flagler. But the celebration also focuses on the diversity of cultural contributions by Hispanic people.

``We decided to commemorate and continue to do what we do. We come from a zillion different backgrounds. We all live together because of what happened in 1492,`` Jimenez said. ``Let`s learn and let`s celebrate our togetherness.``

That celebration includes participation by community groups such as churches, schools and local performers. Their performances wil be held on the Discovery Stage throughout the weekend.

Fiesta on Flager is a collaboration of HISCA and the Kiwanis Club of Palm Beach Hispanics.

The club has supplied volunteer-power for the festival and serves as a co- producer.

EVENTS) ENTERTAINMENT: ACTS WILL BE PRESENTED ON TWO STAGES FOR FIESTA ON FLAGLER. THE DISCOVERY STAGE WILL FEATURE COMMUNITY PERFORMERS, INCLUDING FLAMENCO DANCERS, A PRESENTATION BY QUEST THEATRE, A MARIMBA BAND AND LATIN FOLK GROUP. THE NEW WORLD STAGE WILL FEATURE A VARIETY OF MUSICAL PERFORMERS, WITH THE THREE HEADLINE ACTS TAKING THE STAGE AT 8:30 P.M. EACH EVENING. HEADLINE ACTS: WILLY CHIRINO COMBINES HIS CUBAN ROOTS WITH AMERICAN MUSICAL INFLUENCES AND A BRAZILIAN BEAT TO CREATE HIS SONG. THE SINGER AND COMPOSER WILL APPEAR WITH HIS BAND TONIGHT. TITO PUENTE`S MASTERY OF JAZZ AND SALSA HAS MUCH IN DEMAND. HE WILL PERFORM WITH HIS 11-PIECE BAND SATURDAY NIGHT. CARLOS OLIVA AND LOS SOBRINOS DEL JUEZ. OLIVA, A NATIVE OF CUBA, IS A LONG-TIME RESIDENT OF MIAMI. HE COMBINES AFRICAN RHYTHM, CARIBBEAN BEAT AND LATINA FIESTA ON FLAGLER

WHAT: Fiesta on Flagler, a celebration of Hispanic culture, with musicians, food, folk music and dance, a Hispanic book fair and a Paso Fino horse show.

WHERE: Flagler Drive in downtown West Palm Beach, centered around the West Palm Beach City Library.

WHEN: Today from 6 to 10 p.m, and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Concerts by musical begin at 8:30 p.m. each evening.

TICKETS: $5 for adults, $2 for children under 12, sold at gates on site. All entertainment is included in admission to Fiesta on Flagler.